One Gulf Sunset

I never tire of looking at the sea.

   

"Bless the LORD, O my soul! 

 O LORD my God, You are very great: 

You are clothed with honor and majesty, 

You who laid the foundations of the earth, 

So that it should not be moved forever, 

 You covered it with the deep as with a garment; 

The waters stood above the mountains. 

At Your rebuke they fled; 

 At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away. 

They went up over the mountains; 

They went down into the valleys, 

 To the place which You founded for them. 

 You have set a boundary that they may not pass over, 

 That they may not return to cover the earth."

Psalm 104:1, 5–9

Whether gently coming in to the edge of its boundary

or splashing in with gusto,

each wave brings treasure...

to hear, feel, smell, to behold.

And, like these gathered on the pier,waiting for the nightly setting of the sun, 

I never tire of the majesty of the daily, orderly behavior 

of the big, fiery ball God spoke into being,

whether it sets over land or sea.

Knowing that the skies in other parts of the world 

are still bright blue, or already black, is beyond my comprehension.

But then-- 

the One who carefully made this all

is greater than my mind can ever comprehend.

And so, as I observed many on the pier clapping their hands

as another day slipped behind the horizon,

I couldn't help but say in my heart,

"Good job, God! that was perfectly awesome!"

       

 Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! 

 Shout to God with the voice of triumph! 

Psalm 47:1

Sharon

A Walk in the Swamp

For my birthday, my husband took me to a swamp (at my request) ~ a 13,000 acre Audubon Nature Preserve on the western coast of Florida, to be exact.

The Swamp boasts of owls, panthers, snakes, bob cats, raccoon, large waterbirds, red-shouldered hawks and many other amazing critters of God's Hand.  Because it is the end of dry season, the Swamp was virtually dry and many of the animals were in hiding or vacationing elsewhere.  There was no lack of loveliness to gaze upon, however.

Would you like to join me for my walk?

Despite the heat of the day, the dense tree growth provided cool shade for a lovely 2.5 mile journey on the boardwalk.

I can't show all of my photos, but a few might help you see His amazing work.

Four deer were grazing in a dry part of the Swamp.  They eventually crossed over the boardwalk where a cutout has been made for the bigger animals to use.

These are not vines growing up the tree, rather a type of fig tree pushing its roots down towards the ground after a seed was dropped in a crevice above (probably by a bird).  There were several examples of this in the Swamp.

 

This is a nursery log- a naturally fallen tree that is home to the birthplace and nursery of hundreds of new plants in the Swamp, occurring just as God has said.

Verily, verily, I say unto you,

Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die,

it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit

John 12:24

This fellow was sunning near a small, swampy puddle.  Perhaps he is smiling, knowing rainy season is just around the corner and his world will soon be filled with water.
Personally- I don't trust his smile... no matter the reason.

Mama was in another puddle, gladly showing her teeth;

Her eleven babies were close at hand, learning their way in the world.

In many trees, part way up the trunk, we could see a variety of air plants.  These do not harm the trees, but use them as a host.  This one was rather large.

This had to be one of my favorites of the day. I believe it is called a Button Bush.  It doesn't look like a button to me, but it does look like the work of a Mighty God- One willing to cause these beauties to grow and flourish in the middle of a swamp even if no one else ever sees them.

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: 

for thou hast created all things,

and for thy pleasure they are and were created. 

Revelation 4:11

Sharon

Seen on Campus

       Two friends!

I have the joy of mentoring and teaching Isabel's mother each week.  Occasionally Isabel is on campus too, and sits with us, coloring, while we explore the Word of God.  Though she looks a little unsure here, Isabel freely talks with me, shares her drawings, and tells me about her life.
    We have become good friends.  :)

Sharon

Look Up

I have taken many photos of palm trees
                               (that would be an understatement).
I especially love to watch their swaying fronds from a distance, waving in the tropical breezes.  The wind creates wild, new hairdo's on these graceful ladies.

Curiosity got a hold of my shutter finger though.   Have you ever wondered what was underneath all that beautiful palm hair?
Stand at the base of a palm tree and look up.  Be careful-- you just might get an eye full of sunshine!

If you dodge the tropical sun rays streaming through the fronds, you can get a better look at the beauty hidden there.

The different shapes and colors of seeds remind me of a kaleidoscope.

A house guest once asked me, "Why do they paint the tops of the palm tree trunks?"  

I replied, "They don't paint them... but God does."  :)

If you look closely you just might find a little green guy, scurrying up the trunk trying to get in the 'safe zone' that matches his own coloring.

No need to be alarmed-  he wants to get away from you more than you want to run from him!

My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; 

In the morning I will direct it to You, 

And I will look up. 

Psalm 5:3

Keep looking up!

Sharon

Something to Make You Smile

My sweet neighbor lives a few doors down the hall.  Her ten children have decided that it is time for her to move to a place where she can be looked after on a daily basis.  Rosie is by no means feeble, but I do see some small changes in her and appreciate children (some who are nearly 70) who demonstrate care for their mother.

Rosie had decided that since she couldn't take her piano with her, she would give it to her grandson.  He didn't want it.  She called me and said, "I guess I will give it to Goodwill.   Do you want it?"

Well, it did not get packed off to Goodwill; it made the journey down the hall to our home.  Praise God for His amazing blessing.  We are humbled.

While I was in her home today she picked up one of her harmonicas and suddenly started playing it.  I had no idea she played!  Michael loves the harmonica so I asked her if she had enough breath to walk down to our house and play something for Michael.  She graciously said 'yes' and allowed me to record it for you.

Rosie decided that she did not need two harmonicas in her new place so she left one for Michael.

She called me about 45 minutes later and asked, "Has Mike learned to play that accordion yet?"  :)

Sharon

Relax and Rejoice

The semester has drawn to a close; graduation is just a few days away.  It's time to celebrate!

One of the favorite ways of our kids to do that is to relax.  They are very tired from a long year of classes.  So we had an evening of  food to fill their tummies,

(One girl brought hot chocolate for everyone- 

which was a hit - despite the hot weather these days!

This fellow couldn't get enough of the brownies!)

games to release some stress,

gifts to honor the grads,

 (degrees in Criminal Justice, Journalism, and Chemistry)

and fellowship to hash out what is lingering on their minds.

We had twelve countries represented among our small gathering...

 

 Cuba, Iran, America,

Haiti, China, Palestine,

  Syria, Ecuador, Jamaica,

 Germany, Dominican Republic, and Guyana.

 One student is studying to be a veterinarian and brought a 2 week old kitty to the gathering.

To say the kitten was well-received would be an understatement!

The guys oohed and aahed just as much as the girls.

She was even given her say in the game time.

The students passed her around the whole night.

    It was an interesting stress reliever.

  

 I suspect the kitty went home in need of a little rest, however.

 Each student went home with a plate full of food and goodies;
   this one went home with all the balloons!

(Yes, she walked all over campus, out the door and to her car with them tied to her toes!)

Each one is unique-- each one precious in His sight.  It was our joy to facilitate a night to relax and rejoice.

  Sharon